Steven Bartlett’s biggest regret on Dragons’ Den is now worth £40million.
The entrepreneur, who hosts the Diary of a CEO podcast along with starring on the BBC programme, turned down one of the Den’s biggest ever business opportunities and has regretted it ever since.
Fussy – a deodorant company – appeared on the show three years ago, and walked away with an investment from Peter Jones and Deborah Meaden. At the time, Steven decided not to invest – but it was the wrong decision.
He told Metro: “I was sat in the chair, and I could see the regret. Sometimes you have that moment where you go, ‘I think I might regret this one’, but for whatever reason you choose not to invest and that was Fussy.”
The star added: “I was sat in the Den thinking, ‘There’s so many reasons for me to invest in this’, and I was on the fence and I fell over the other side of the fence and the minute I got back to the green room I was sat there thinking, ‘Jesus, I should have done this’.”
He added the business has done “brilliantly” and he “begrudgingly” uses their products himself, admitting it’s “annoying” he isn’t part of their journey.
Fussy received more than 20,000 orders by the time their episode of Dragons’ Den ended, with founder Matt Kennedy admitting going on the show had a “monumental” impact.
The company earned £20million in revenue in 2024 and now has a valuation of £40million.
In the Den, the company asked for £50,000 investment and offered up a 1% stake to the Dragons.
Deborah Meaden said at the time: “I’m very fussy with my investments and can’t resist a product that’s better for people and better for the planet. I’m really looking forward to banishing single-use plastic from bathrooms worldwide with these guys.”
